Gamertell

Product: AXPro (aka Audio Xtreme Pro)
Price: $159.99
Rating: One thumb up, one thumb sideways; 89/100; B+; * * * 1/2 out of five.
Pros: Fits comfortably and sounds amazing for games. Nice controls of the four fields of sound.
Cons: A bit large for some, not the same amazing sound separation for movies. A lot of wires and settings to manage.
Overall: Despite the size this is a great headset for gaming if you don’t mind a little ear sweat.

It seems to be the rule that the better the sound quality, the bigger the headset. If that’s true, then the AX Pro (aka Audio Xtreme Pro) might just be one of the best headsets around.

Out of the Box

The headset comes with several components:

• The AX Pro headset with attached/in-line volume adjuster and attached 12.5 ft. cable
• Manual (plus copied addendum for PS3 setup)
• Two power adapters (one for the headset and another for the Dolby decoder)
• Xbox Live cable
• USB cable
• An optical cable (with protective plastic caps)
• A G9 PC cable
• Faux leather ear and head pad set (can be swapped with plastic set pre-installed)
• A Dolby decoder box
• A little plastic cap remover tool.

Getting the headset working takes some time (about 10-20 minutes) as you’ll need to both put together some of the components, figure the proper setup for the system you’ll be using and put all the proper cables together (which translates into a 10-step process). I primarily used the PS3 via the optical cable which also involves going into the console’s audio settings and making several adjustments which are described in the manual and a photocopied addendum. I also tested it with an HD audio PC which also requires decent knowledge of your audio card and card controls.

Once everything is properly plugged in, the double “TT” logo on each ear and the LEDs on the volume adjuster (connected to the headset cable) and the Dolby decoder box light up.

The in-line audio controller has four channel buttons that allow you to raise and lower the audio level for Front,  Rear, Center and Sub (subwoofer). It uses a stop light-esque system where Yellow is low, Green is minimum and Red is likely too loud (and no color is a traffic jam, er, off).

On My Head

The headset fits quite comfortably. As you can imagine, the bulk is a bit daunting for people who are used to petite Xbox Live headsets with only one flimsy ear piece or tiny ear buds.  The cushion on the top of the headset keeps it comfy and the ear pads are thick and nicely insulated, blocking out nearly all outside audio intrusions. It hardly feels weighty although you can expect a little sweat around the edges if you wear them for longer than 20 minutes.

I didn’t quite get any sense of the surround separation until I started to fiddle with the volumes for the four directions on the headset controller. For movies, it didn’t seem to affect direction as much as make sections of the volume louder (eg. dialog or the background music). I’m guessing that this is because those tracks are set to specific audio zones while the sound effects are specifically directed. Tritton would do well to include a demo disk you can use to test the sound.

Gaming is another matter. The separations are very distinct, resulting in the directional sounds actually assisting with game play. The sound is very clear, crisp and quite good. You can tweak the crud out of your audio experience, creating deep sub-thumping explosions or extra high-pitched bullet whizzles.

Gaming is clearly the best use of this headset.

Pieces Parts

Tritton is marketing the headset as also having a removable microphone and replaceable side panels (those lovely lit “TT” logos). The microphone went in and was removed multiple times without an issue. (As you’ll see from the note below, the first headset I received was likely faulty but the second worked perfectly.)

The only reason to remove it might be to put your own, less rigid microphone in its place since the microphone simply swivels. Luckily, each ear piece can be adjusted to improve fit and comfort. The stock microphone is very sensitive and will pick up your breaths even though it might seem a bit far from your face.

The in-line audio control box includes a microphone mute switch and volume control. For those playing the Xbox or Xbox 360, the in-line audio control box includes a port that connects to your controller.

You can pop off the “TT” logo ear cap panels though replacing them with something else will likely require an additional purchase. When you pop it off, you can oogle the mini speakers in each ear to see exactly how the audio is separated.

The dual plugs were a mystery and, at first, seemed like overkill until I realized that you can use the pocket-sized Dolby decoder sans headset (as in with a 5.1 speaker system). For some, that will be worth the price of the system in itself. For others, the two plugs will further crowd power strips. If you have an HD audio card, you won’t really need the decoder but you will for any game system and other PC cards (even if you have optical).

As mentioned earlier, the decoder is a pretty useful part, even without the headset. You can also use it with powered 5.1 speakers.

The Whole Package?

It fits well, remains comfortable for long periods of time, has great sound, accurate separation and a sensitive stock microphone.

The headset’s downsides will be for those who don’t like to tangle with more cables or cannot afford to lose any more outlets. Also, there is a small learning curve for getting the headset to properly function with the PS3 and PCs. In these cases it comes down to being a bit patient and becoming very familiar with your audio settings in your system. If you are easily frustrated by cable and/or audio management - if you have any electronic device that still blinks 12:00 - then you’re frustration will carry over to this headset.

If, however, you need a digital decoder and want to experience superior directional explosions, bullets passing by and breathy whispers in your ear, this will likely be well worth the price.

Product Page [AX Pro] Photo Gallery [Gamertell]

Editor’s Note: The first unit I received to review actually shocked me when I was holding the audio controller and touching the Dolby decoder box. It happened more than once and it was pretty painful. Also, the removable microphone was difficult to pry loose from the headset. I contacted the Tritton support department and they quickly replaced the entire headset. The first headset was not considered for this review.

Check out the gallery: AXPro (Audio Xtreme Pro) 5.1 surround sound headphones by Tritton